Author Notes: Vegetable broth doesn’t always need a recipe–just toss your veggie trimmings and scraps in a bag in the freezer, and when the bag is full, make broth. But if you want something really special, try this version–it’s hands-down the most flavorful and versatile vegetable broth I’ve ever tasted. It’s a great alternative to chicken broth, with just as much flavor. I’ve even used it as the base for matzo ball soup, with rave reviews from vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.
I adapted this from the Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook, which calls for red onion, red beets, and red cabbage, yielding a dark red broth. I use yellow onion, golden beets, and ordinary green cabbage instead, which works perfectly to achieve the familiar yellow-golden color we all know and love. —ieatthepeach
Makes: about 2 quarts
Ingredients
-
1
large carrot
-
5
celery stalks (with leaves)
-
1
large yellow onion, cut in half but not peeled
-
1
medium parsnip
-
1
small fennel bulb, cut in half, with fronds
-
1/2
pound fresh shelled English peas OR 1 (12 oz) bag frozen peas
-
1
bunch fresh parsley
-
1
small golden beet, stemmed and halved
-
1/4
head cabbage, roughly chopped
-
6
whole cloves
-
12
whole black peppercorns
-
Pinch of crushed red chile flakes
-
3 quarts water
Directions
- Rinse any lingering dirt from the vegetables. Combine all ingredients in your largest stockpot–if you need to, cut the veggies into chunks to fit in the pot. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to keep at a bare simmer. Simmer for 2-3 hours, or until the broth is richly flavored. Strain out the solids.
- Use the broth immediately, or freeze for 4-6 months.
